WITH FAITH, COMING TO JONES ROAD

Faith Ringgold is an artist, educator, and activist famous for her revolutionary style in the art world, the story quilt. With Faith's use of textile and fabric, she was able to eschew the painful obtuse set ups artists are required to deal with, especially in their larger work. She could roll up her work, and bring it anywhere she wanted.

Faith Ringgold's work deals with black identity, civil rights, white caricature, violence, and fantasy stories as metaphor for motivation. Her work exemplifies the violence of nationalism, the struggles of protest, and the need and want for a peaceful life; for everyone. Faith Ringgold made posters for the Panthers, for protests; she was one of the catalysts for black artists acceptance within the fine art world, protesting major museums like The Whitney and The Guggenheim for proper representation of Black and diverse artists in a white world. ~wrm

Coming to Jones Road Suite

Ancestor Journeys (verbatim theater piece in four movements)

Devised by Christine Eubank and Leigh Jonaitis

I. The Journey

The Ancestor Journeys

II. Aunt Emma

The Town I Live In

III. Only the Children

Over the Bridge

IV. Tar Beach

Anyone Can Fly

V. Jazz Stories




Featuring the writing and oral histories of:

Faith Ringgold

Sophia Spano

Imani Blake

Winifred Farrar

Elizabeth Greene

Janet Johnston

Joan Waite

Imogene Smith Washington

Anita Smith

Julia Downs

Wendell Browne

Cleo Bonnemere

Joy Applebaum

Wally Richardson

John A. Williams

Fred Rola

Rufus Reid Quintet:

Roberta Piket, piano

Mark Gross, alto saxophone

Freddie Hendrix, trumpet

Kenneth Salters, drums

Rufus Reid, bass

Coming to Jones Road Verbatim Theater

Writers:

Christine Eubank

Leigh Jonaitis

About verbatim theater: Verbatim theater is a form of documentary theater which is based on the spoken words of real people. Strictly, verbatim theater-makers use real people's words exclusively, and take this testimony from recorded interviews. The Coming to Jones Road dialogue has been taken from Faith Ringgold’s story quilts, from the Teaneck Public Library’s Oral History of Teaneck (1980s), and the ongoing Ancestors Journeys Oral History Project at BCC.

Director:

Leigh Jonaitis

Actors:

Mya Banks

Nia Coleman

Jordyn Grier-Parham

Skye Reeves

Jaden Selver


In-house Lighting Design:

Graham Frye

Lighting Design:

Miru Kim

Projectionist:

Dimitri Mokarakorn

Production Stage Manager:

Eireann Ingersoll

Stage Technician:

Ray Parante

Sound Engineer:

Steve Schwartz

Recording Engineer:

Patrice Devincentis

Senior Technical Coordinator:
Tom O’Neill

Bergen Stages Box Office:

Codi Chester

Graphic Design:
Cristina Grisales
Tom DePrenda

Gallery Bergen Student Staff:
Daniel Gajee
Aryan Balodi
Ruben Maldonado
Julien Singh

Coming to Jones Road Humanities Team:
Tim Blunk, Director, Gallery Bergen
Dr. Christine Eubank, BCC Women’s Studies
Dr. Maureen Ellis-Davis, BCC Sociology
Leigh Jonaitis, BCC Performing Arts
Dr. Ursula Parrish Daniels, BCC Professor Emerita



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